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Home » Latest News » Diversification, new technology see Skyriders make inroads into Africa

Diversification, new technology see Skyriders make inroads into Africa

Skyriders will continue to target clients in Africa and further afield “where our skill set and service offering, as well as the advantageous rand/dollar exchange rate, offer clients a better alternative,” according to Marketing Manager Mike Zinn.

The access specialist continues to diversify, having successfully undertaking major new projects such as essential maintenance work on the 237-m-tall Sentech Tower in Johannesburg, known originally as the Brixton Tower.

A first for Skyriders, the project opens the door for future collaboration with signal distribution services company Sentech, which has similar structures countrywide, as far afield as Kimberley and Thabazimbi.

“The Sentech Tower project, as well as a few difficult facilities management projects, showcased the out-of-the-box lateral thinking of our team, making these potentially costly projects that much more affordable and safer for all involved,” Zinn elaborates.

He describes 2017 as “a challenging year on all fronts”, with the economic situation “continuing to place maintenance budgets, as well as funds for new projects, under pressure.” Zinn reveals that 2018 “will be a year to improve the skills of certain teams, ensuring we continue to deliver as expected, as well as the streamlining of certain operations.”

Meanwhile the trend to use drone technology in conjunction with rope access is anticipated to make an impact on the industry going forward, Zinn comments. Drone technology allows for safe visual inspection of potentially dangerous confined spaces, and difficult-to-reach indoor environments, with minimum downtime and maximum cost-effectiveness.

The Sentech Tower project showcases Skyriders’ diversification

Skyriders also plans to expand its boilermaking and welding service offering. “Often maintenance work on large industrial sites is carried out by multiple contractors, one to provide access (scaffolding, as an example); one to inspect and issue the scope the work; and then one to conduct the actual maintenance such as repairs and painting. With rope access, we provide our own access to inspect, and then carry out, whatever maintenance and repairs are needed – a true turnkey solution,” Zinn concludes.

About Skyriders
Skyriders (Pty) Ltd., established in 1998, is a leader in the South African rope access industry, providing cost- and time-saving solutions to clients in the power generation and petrochemical industries who require rope access aided inspection, NDT and maintenance work to be done in difficult to reach, high-up locations.